


Festivity

by MiniNephthys



Category: End Roll (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-16 05:32:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8089060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: Russell drags Raymond and Walter to the festival.





	

After the meeting at Yumi’s place, Russell slips out of town and wanders about. He hasn’t decided who he should partner up with for the night watch. Just by the way his dream functions, he knows that if any of the pairs encounter that monster, it’ll be his, so he should be careful who he chooses. Maybe Tabasa, he’s versatile and is tough enough to take a few hits…

Seaside is practically bursting with balloons and people rushing about in preparations. Everyone who he stops to talk to mentions a festival that will open in just a few minutes or so.

Russell considers his options, then turns around.

Raymond’s as chatty as ever after Russell fetches him from the traders’ headquarters. “Hey, kiddo! What’s the plan for today?”

“We’re going to a festival,” Russell says.

“I love festivals,” Raymond replies, his smile getting wider. “You can never go wrong with inviting somebody out to one of those! ‘Course, since it’s this late in your dream, it’s probably full of monsters keeping everybody from having a good time, right?”

“Not as far as I know,” Russell says.

Raymond falters. “Err… Then why are you bringing me?”

“It’s a festival,” Russell replies. “Everyone knows you can’t go alone to those.”

“Uh…” Now Raymond stops completely in his tracks. “Kid, I’m flattered, but that’s… kind of suspiciously date-like? And I’m not that kind of a guy...”

“...So you won’t come?” Russell asks, not at all trying to hide his disappointment. “It sounded like a lot of fun…”

Raymond hesitates. (The fact that there are people who actually care whether Russell is disappointed or not still amazes him.) “Well… if it wasn’t just me and you there, I’d say sure thing.”

“Alright,” Russell says. “We’ll bring Walter.”

That gets Raymond to laugh, and he’s just about to say something, probably to ask if Russell is serious, when Russell ducks into Walter’s research tent.

“Hi, Walter,” Russell says, as Raymond follows after him.

“Good afternoon,” Walter says, looking over. “Do you have need of my assistance?”  
“Yes,” says Russell. “We’re going to the festival.”

Walter’s expression flattens. “And you believe I have any interest in such frivoloties… why?”

Walter is not one of those people who cares whether Russell is disappointed or not, at least not outwardly. Russell tries a different approach for him. “Festivals are supposed to be lots of fun, right? So there’s no way my dream would let me go to one and not ruin it somehow. There’ll probably be a huge monster in the middle of it.”

Raymond sighs. “Kid, you don’t really think that’ll work on… wait, Walter, you’re seriously thinking about it?”

“Based on my previous experience with this dream and dreams of this type, the logic is sound. As long as there’s a strong likelihood I’ll have something to collect a sample from, I can stand to at least be in the presence of other people having fun.” Walter sounds a little more huffy than normal, but all that matters to Russell is that he agreed.

The festival is open by the time the three of them arrive. The first stand that catches Russell’s eye is selling coconut juice cocktails, and he buys one without thinking twice about it.

Raymond immediately purchases one for himself. “Cheers, kid!”

Russell obligingly clinks his glass with Raymond’s and takes a sip. “It’s good,” he says.

“I really ought to at least stop you from drinking underage,” Walter says with a sigh. “You can be as easily intoxicated in a dream as in reality - Raymond, you ought to know better.”

“It’s just one drink,” Raymond replies. “No harm, no foul. I’d let him drink it in real life too.”

“...Of course you would,” Walter says. “What was I thinking.”

They pass by the fortune-telling stall, which Walter immediately dismisses as “superstitious nonsense - better not to fall into the habit,” and stop at the lottery stall where someone else has just lost for what sounds like the fifth time in a row.

“My luck is second to none,” Raymond says, stepping up to the counter with a confident smirk. “Just watch as I bring home the grand prize!”

He loses the first time. And the second. After the third, Russell stops him from trying again. “I need this money for medicine,” he says. “It probably wasn’t that great a prize anyway.”

“Fine, fine. Killjoy…” Raymond steps away, but keeps giving longing glances back at the lottery booth while they head to the ice cream shop.

“All the flavors look good,” Russell says, peering over the selection. “What should I get?”

Raymond says, “Hm… I might go for the guava, but it’s hard to commit…”

“I get the feeling you’ve said that a lot,” Russell says, without looking up at him. The indignant squawk tells him all he needs to know.

“There are three of us and three flavors,” Walter says, somehow passing up the opportunity to make a dig at Raymond’s expense. “Why don’t we each get a different one and share?”

“You’re actually doing something fun at a festival?” Raymond asks. “I thought you were just here in case a monster showed up.”

“There clearly aren’t any monsters here yet,” Walter replies, a bit defensively. “...And even I like ice cream.”

The vanilla flavor is really good, but so is the guava flavor. Some of it melts on Russell’s hands; he licks most of it off until Walter shoves a pile of napkins in his face.

They talk to Chief Kelpie, and Russell agrees to help search for the missing torch. Walter’s less enthusiastic. “Should he not have kept a better eye on it if it was that important? Why are we being conscripted to fix his own mistakes?”

“Everybody misplaces stuff sometimes,” Raymond says with a shrug. “It’ll be quicker to just look and not complain.”

It’s only when Russell picks up the torch that he realizes how late things are getting. “The night watch… I never decided on a partner,” he says. “I’d better hurry back. You two can stay here and watch the end of the festival if you want-”

“Absolutely not,” Walter says. “I’m only here in the first place because of the possibility of monsters, and they’re far more likely to crop up around your location.”

“Like you said earlier, nobody goes to festivals alone, right?” Raymond says. “Kind of a shame to miss it, but I’ll stick with you.”

“Thanks,” Russell says, after a moment. “...This was really fun.”

Walter doesn’t give a response, but he doesn’t immediately deny it either. Raymond fluffs up Russell’s hair for a second.

It’s dark by the time they reach the intersection of Dozing Forest. Russell is hurrying already, but when that thing appears before them and talks in that terrible, familiar voice before speeding off towards the village, he breaks into a full-on run, and Walter and Raymond have no choice but to follow close after him.

They encounter it already in combat with Yumi, which is exactly the last person Russell wanted it to run into. He hesitates for just a second.

Walter steps in front of him. “Quite an ugly creature, isn’t it. But that’s all the better for my research. ...Don’t freeze up now, Russell.”

“You’re gonna be fine,” Raymond says, drawing his pistols. “It’s just one more monster, no big deal.”

Russell takes a steadying breath. “...Thanks. I’m okay.”

The monster flees midway through the fight. Yumi picks herself off the ground and approaches Russell first. “Hey, Russell, you doin’ okay?”

Russell takes a moment to steady himself before nodding.

“Good. Sturdier than you look.” Then she looks to Walter and Raymond. “Uh… and these guys are? Never seen you ‘round these parts before…”

Walter looks annoyed at the question itself; Raymond sweats.

“They’re my dates for the festival,” Russell says, completely calmly.

That gets a chuckle out of Yumi. “Yer such a kidder, Russell. Guess it don’t matter too much, since they helped save my hide. Thanks for that.”

“Uh - any time,” Raymond says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Happy to help!”

“Let’s pursue the creature before it can escape,” Walter says. “...And it was not a date.”


End file.
